Wax applicator



July 27, 1937. u. HlcKMAN j 2,088,240

WAX APPLIcAToR Filed Nov. 2o, lse 5 sheets-sheet 2 vul p" I V I o c O lo n n o Il I' 27 k:ao

a @a aggys@ .i r l 2 l /fz'c/ff//nvan *fr m I 9 Attorneys Inventor J.HICKMAN WAX APPLIGATOR July 27, 1937.

Filed Nov. 20, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Home ys July 27, 1937. J. nl cKMAN2,088,240l

' WAX APPLIcAToR Filed Nov. 20, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheeb 4 s h .L Inventor M4 Attorneys A July 27, 1937 J. HlcKMAN 2,088,240

WAX APLIcAToR Filed Nov. 20, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 nvenor if. Hte/rma Bywww Attorneys Patented July 27, 1937 UNITEDSTATES PAT-ENT oFFlcl-:yA

2,088-,240 WAX Arr'icn'ron VJohn HickmaxnwMis-sion, .Texs

ApplicationNovember Serial No. 111,951 4 Claims. (Cl. 91-37) I vThepresent invention Arelates'to'new andu-'seful u H I improvements inwax applicators for citrus fruit a Washing and drying machinesV andlhasAfor one of its important objects to provide, in a rmanner U which issuch that it may be expeditiously inv stalled `for operationA ondifferent makesofwconas hereinafter setforth, aldevice of this characterembodying a construction and arrangement ventional machines without the.necessity oi altering said machines structurally or in operation:

VAnotherveryimportant object of the invention is toraprovide novel meansfor waxing the rolls orbrushesofa fruit washing and drying machinelwithout dangerof injuringV the fruit thereon.

, awax .applicatorof the characterwsetvforth which j Still another veryimportant object ofthe invention is toaprovide a wax applicator of Athecharacter described which may be conveniently .i

adjusted'as'desired toward or away from, the

l rolls or. brushes of the l,washingnand drying machine. Y i

Y Other objects of the invention are to provide will be comparativelysimple in construction, strong, durable, highly eicient and reliable inuse, compact, light in weight and whichmay be manufacturedand installedat low cost.

v All of the foregoing ,and still further objects and advantages of theinventionwill Vbecome apparent from a study of the followingspecication, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings whereinlike characters of refer- `ence designate corresponding parts throughoutthe` several views, and wherein: n

Figure 1 isa vside elevational View, showing a wax applicatorconstructed in accordance with the present invention installed foroperation beneath a conventional citrus fruit washing and j dryingmachine.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view through the invention, takensubstantially on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 is a view in vertical longitudinal section through one endportion of the invention.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of one end portion of the applicator, one ofthe Wax pans or containers being broken away.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view, taken substantially on the line 5-5of Fig. 1.

Figure 6 is a view in horizontal section, taken substantially on theline 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Figure 7 is a detail view in perspective of one of the supportinghangers.

Figure 8 is a detail view in perspective of one of the verticallyadjustable plates.

. Aing fans 5.

Y one ofV the wax containers and the adjacent portionV of the supportingchains therefor.

Figure 12'is a detail view inperspective of one of the Wax containers.

-Figure 13 is a detail in cross section through a portion of one .of theside members or Vframes f and the chain guides thereon.

Figurelfi isa fragmentary View in plan of one of the endless chains. e

Figure 15 is an elevational View of oneof the ',adjustable supportingassemblies. y

' Referring now to the drawings in detail, it -will beQseen that .thereference numeral I designateshgenerally a yconventional citrus fruitwashing and drying machine, said machine including side rails 2 betweenwhich rolls or brushes 3 are journaled. i Mounted in housings 4 aboutthe rolls 3 are rinclined electric motor driven dry- The embodiment ofthe present invention fwhich has been illustrated comprises a pair oflongitudinally extending side members or frames 6 which are mountedbeneath the machine I. Rigidly secured to the side members 6, adjacentthe ends thereof, are metallic plates 'I having circular openings 8therein. The plates `'I are adapted for vertical sliding adjustmentbetween `pairs of inturned guide ilanges 9 which are formedintegrallywith hangers I0,V said hangers I0 being rigidly secured beneath the siderails L2, and depending therefrom. The hangers I0 :have formed` thereinopenings II which accommodate transverse rods I2. As illustratedtoadvantage n Fig. 10 of the drawings, the rods I2 are provided withsquare portions I3 on which eccentrics I 4 are mounted. The eccentricsI4 include laterally projecting hub portions I5 which are journaledinthe openings II.

At one end, the rods I2 terminate in heads I6. At their other ends therods I2 terminate in threaded shanks I1 which accommodate clamping nutsI8. Adjusting handles I9 are mounted on the square `portions I3 of therods I2 which are adjacent the threaded shanks I 1. Spacing sleeves 20are mounted on the rods I2. Washers 2I are also mounted on the rods I2between the ends of the sleeves 20 and the plates 1, said washers beingof a greater diameter than the openings 8. It may be well to here statethat Cil 'therebeneath the eccentrics I 4 are operable in the openings 8of the plates l.

J ournaled in the end portions of. the side members 6 are transverseshafts 22 having xed thereon sprocket wheels 23. One of the shafts 22 isdriven at the desired speed from any suitable source of power by, forexample, a chain and sprocket connection 24 (see Fig. 4). Endless chains25 are trained over the sprocket wheels 23, said chains travellingbetween guides 26 which are provided therefor on the side members 6.

Extending transversely between the endless chains 25 are spaced metallicbars 21 having rigidly secured thereon containers 28 for the receptionof wax 29. It will be observed 'that the Wax 29 extends above thecontainers 2B. The` tion will be readily apparent from a considerationof the foregoing. When in use, the applicator travels in a directionopposite to that in which the rolls 3 of the washing and drying machineare rotating. The applicator is driven at the desired speed and, ofcourse, the rolls 3 are coated by contact with the wax 29 travelling Itwill be observed that several of the fans 5 are located ahead of theapplicator on the machine I. This assures thorough drying of the fruitbefore it is waxed. As the wax 29 is consumed or used the applicator maybe conveniently and accurately adjusted by simply loosening the nuts I8and turning the rods I2 "with the eccentrics I4 thereonY through themediurn of the handles or levers I9 thereby raising vside members 6. TheVdevice is then frictionally clamped'in adjusted position by tighteningthe the plates 1 which are rigidly securedv on the nuts I8.

It is believed that the many advantages of a wax applicator constructedin accordance with the present invention will be readily understood andalthough a preferred embodiment of the'device is as illustrated anddescribed, it is to be v understood that changes in the details ofconstruction and in the combination and arrangement of parts may beresorted to which will fall Within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A wax applicator for fruit treating machines of the type including aplurality of rotary elements, comprising hangers depending from themachine, side members mounted for vertical movement on the hangers,endless chains operatively mounted on said side members, containersextending transversely between the chains, said containers for thereception of wax for contact with the rotary elements, means foractuating the chains, and means for adjusting the side members toward oraway from the machine.

2. A wax applicator for fruit treating machines of the type comprising aplurality of rotary elements, comprising hangers depending from themachine, a pair of side members, plates iixed on said side members andhaving circular openings therein, rods rotatably mounted in the hangersand extending through the openings, eccentrics mounted on said rods forrotation therewith and engaged in the openings in the plates, means forrotating the rods for adjusting the side members toward or away from themachine, endless chains operatively mounted on the side members,containers extending transversely between the chains, said containersfor the reception of wax for contact with the rotary elements,

and means for actuating the endless chains.

3. A wax applicator for fruit treating machines of the type including aplurality of rotary elements, comprising hangers depending from themachine, inturned flanges on said hangers, a pair of side members,plates fixed on said side members and slidable between the ilanges onthe" hangers, said plates having circular openings therein, rodsrotatably mounted in the hangers and'extending through the openings inthe plates,

eccentrics mounted 'on the rods for rotationw therewith and engaged invthe plate openings for" raising or lowering the side members, spacingsleeves mounted 'on the rods, washers mounted on the rods at the ends ofthe spacing sleeves and engaged with the plates, means for rotating therods for raising or lowering the side mem-"" bers, means on the rodscooperable with the spacing sleeves and the washers for frictionallyclamping the side members in adjusted position, endless'chainsoperatively mounted on the side members, containers extendingtransversely bei.'`r

tween the endless chains, said containers for the reception of wax forcontact with the rotary ele- 4ments, and means for actuating the endlesschains. f v

4. A wax applicator for fruit treating machines4 of the type includingla plurality of rotary elements, comprising hangers depending from themachine, sidemembers mounted for vertical lmovement on the hangers,endless chains operatively mounted on said members, a plurality of f

